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The United Chambers of Commerce of the Greater San Fernando Valley’s Small Business Awards Breakfast featured a “state of the county” address by L.A. Supervisors Mike Antonovich and Zev Yaroslavsky.
Antonovich and Yaroslavsky painted a dire picture of the county’s future if the cutbacks being contemplated by Governor Schwarzenegger and the state legislature come to fruition, during a recent United Chambers of Commerce event.
Many of the county’s social service programs crucial to the poor, sick and elderly, depend on state funds, and those programs would take a huge hit with the proposed cutbacks, they said.
Especially worrisome is the potential elimination of the state’s welfare-to- work program CalWorks, which Yaroslavsky said would result in the loss of more than 6,000 county jobs, and would adversely impact thousands more who depend on the services.
“The impact [of eliminating this program] is very significant and entirely adverse,” Yaroslavsky said.
As the largest employer in the County with more than 100,000 workers, L.A. County has a direct impact in the region’s business climate, and the cuts to programs would especially have an impact on the region’s unemployment, they said.
As a government institution the County of Los Angeles is the only body of government that is doing considerably well in California in the midst of the financial crisis, in large part because the County has made it a point to not invest in new programs it would not be able to sustain in the long term, they said. “It’s about living within our means,” Antonovich said.
The Supervisors spoke at the Small Business Awards Breakfast at the Beverly Garland’s Holiday Inn, hosted by the United Chambers of Commerce of the Greater San Fernando Valley on June 4.
The event recognized the contributions of small businesses and the Chambers that support them.
The 2009 Small Business Award Winners were:
Agoura/Oak Park/ Conejo Valley Chamber
Volvo of Calabasas, Steve Lapin
Arleta Chamber
Jerry’s Automotive, Yervand Urfalyan and Jerry Dunn
Calabasas Chamber
Atmosphere Events and Catering, Dana Rolland
Canoga Park/ West Hills Chamber
Affordable Signs, Jay and David Chen
Chatsworth/ Porter Ranch Chamber
Naya Fresh Body Spa, Maria Patterson and Eric Pampalone
Encino Chamber
Pinnacle Bancorp, Melissa Loeffler
Granada Hills Chamber,
All Valley Trophy, Nickie Wheeler and Dean Spencer
Greater San Fernando Valley Chamber
Thomas Graphics, Mike Thomas
San Fernando Chamber
MP Auto Body Shop, Morgan Palos
SFV Filipino American Chamber
D’New Aristocrat Bakery and Restaurant, Susan Maranan
Studio City Chamber
Rusty’s Discount Pet Center, Terry Wainscott
Universal City/ North Hollywood Chamber
Sky Flowers, Olga Garabekyan
Valley Economic Development Center
Pacific Coast Analytical Services, Claudio Cardelli
Winnetka Chamber
State Farm Insurance, Jason Schomas
Woodland Hills/ Tarzana Chamber
State of the Art Images, Jim and Marci Brammer
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